Does anyone use hoof boots? Which brand is best for gravel roads and asphalt? I’d like to measure and size a pair for our Shetland Pony’s front feet. She is learning how to be a driving pony.
Fabulous boots, good price point, great folks to work with: www.comforthoofs.com for the Equine Fusion boot
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Thank you for the recommendation. How long have they lasted?
I’ve stuck with Easyboots because they’re so durable. I’m sure there are other brands that are just as tough, but there are also quite a few that don’t last very long.
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Thank you. I’d love to know how they compare to others. How long have the easy boots lasted?
I’m in the process of getting my guy fitted in Scoot Boots. I love the Equine Fusions as well, but they really hold water which makes them tricky for my area, especially if you want to use them for turnout at all. For gravel/pavement roads, they could be the perfect thing. They’re also flexible on the sizing - I believe they have a testimonial on their North American website from someone whose pony’s hooves were too small for even their smallest size, but they were able to make it work, which is nice.
My experience with the Scoots so far has been positive - even though we haven’t used them yet! They have a great program where if you send in sizing pictures, they will cover the shipping of the boots to you until you get the right size. I got my first pair in last night to try and it turns out they are too large, so we’ve got some tweaking to do, but I am really impressed with the boot itself. I love that there is nothing at all to hold water, and found them super simple to put on and take off. The very low-profile is another bonus for me. I’ve previously used Old Macs and Cavallos and while they’re good boots, I find them very clunky. Fusions less so, but not as low profile as the Scoots (though I think the Fusions would be better for a horse who really needed therapeutic care and significant padding). I am looking for a multi-purpose boot that I can use for ridden work and turnout and I think Scoots are going to be the one. No person experience for longevity yet, but lots of reports of people getting many many hundreds of miles out of them even over very challenging terrain.
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Thank you! Holding water would be an issue here. Our road is frequently muddy.
The most important is the boot that fits YOUR horse’s feet! Measure, measure again, and talk/email a rep of the company to see if they will be a good fit. I personally use Renegades, and get about 800 miles on rocky trails, (gravel and granite included) out of each pair. I like that each part is replaceable, but not everyone wants to do that (some just want to buy a new boot instead of say replacing just the base, etc). If your pony has very small feet I think options are more limited. Best of luck!
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I know several people who swear by Renegades, but I think fit and performance in your local conditions should the driing factors.
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You’re welcome 
Like I said, I haven’t actually used the Scoots yet, but I’m really impressed so far with both the boot and the customer service. The company itself is in Australia, and they have reps all over in North America. I’m personally in Canada, but ended up connecting with a rep out of the States who has been phenomenally helpful and supportive. Even though I ordered directly from the company (shipping costs make buying cross border from a rep more complex), she’s been just excellent. If you’re in the Midwest (I think that’s the right area? is “Heartland” the midwest? Not amazing with US Geography), I highly recommend Stacy Pratt - she has a facebook page “Heartland Scoot Boots.”
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Thanks for all the info.
That’s interesting that some may not have small enough sizes. Does anyone have experience fitting a pony or mini?
Our Shetland has incredibly normal, lovely, hooves. I would like to be able to put the boots on easily and then take them off after driving her. She wouldn’t wear them in the stall or pasture; just for work. Our road is owner maintained, so it does have some serious puddles sometimes.
I haven’t worn out an easyboot yet, but a friend has a horse who goes through them pretty fast, so it just depends. Someone did just post a pic of a Scoot Boot on facebook that was worn through at the toe. She was comparing them to Renegades and said the Scoots didn’t last anywhere near as long as the Renegades.
If moisture was a concern I’d just drill some holes for drainage.
There may be no need for boots on a pony.
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Yep…what boot will fit your horses feet best. So far, I haven’t found an Easyboot that fits my mare well. I use Renegades and thus far if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Susan
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I started with Renegades and changed to Scoots. I’d recommend both but the Scoots are working best for me.
I’m not sure however if either company goes pony size.
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Sccots has “Scoot Minis” which start at just over 3" long and just under 3" wide.
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I’ve been using the Scoot boots for almost 3 months now on a thin soled TB that had to switch to barefoot. I’ve been very happy with how they 1)are not clunky and 2)are not holding water/ mud like many other boots do. The boots appear to be holding up well too. I really like the open heels so no rubs or bruised heels bulbs.
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I have used most brands…Equine Fusion, Scoot Boots, Easy Boot Gloves, Epics, and Furies, and Evo Boots.
I really like all of them, for different applications. Scoots and Equine Fusion are probably the most user-friendly. Equine Fusion provides the most cushion and fit flexibility over Scoots, BUT I do not recommend them for turnout, and their fabric parts can tear on a horse with twisty movement or at speeds. I like them for riding on horses that move fairly straight and need a bit more cushion (the sole has a lot of cushion, and they accommodate pads exceptionally well). They would be great for driving on hard roads with no give. Putting them on can be a bit fiddly on some of the models, with straps and buckles. My favorite is the Active, which is pretty easy to put on, followed by the All Terrain Ultra, which is a bit fiddlier, but more secure.
I love Scoots for how lightweight they are, and you can color coordinate! They are a bit trickier to fit, although not hard, and do not accommodate thick pads or provide as much cushion as the Fusions. However, because they are all plastic and screws, broken parts are easily replaced. They are my go-to for turnout because my hooligan horses won’t wreck them beyond repair. I also like them for riding in a horse that is otherwise comfy, needs support on rocks or just to be a bit more confident on his feet, but doesn’t need as much cushion (thin soles, arthritis, etc).
Easyboots are the best high performance boots ever…if you can get the fit perfect, and keep a short trim cycle. If you can’t and don’t, I wouldn’t bother.
I like Evo boots a lot, but they are very expensive and another boot geared more towards low profile, high performance.
I don’t much care for Cavallos or Renegades.
For your application, I think you would do well with either Equine Fusion All Terrains or Scoot Boots. Just depends on what you like the looks of more.
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I have Cavallo boots in a few sizes. I don’t use them often, which apparently is a problem. I kept them in the box they came in and when I used them after not having had to for a while, they completely fell apart. The sole cracked and fell out. I thought it was a fluke. Then I had another horse with a different size go through the same thing. I went to get him out of the paddock and it was as if he was wearing a bell boot. There was no sole to the boot at all. I found various pieces around the paddock. I inquired with customer service as to why I was having this problem, and I was told that the need to get wet once in a while. 
Since I didn’t use them a lot, they were just going to fall apart. That doesn’t make sense to me. I only use them when I have an issue with losing a shoe, or transitioning from shoes to barefoot, etc., so I don’t need them often. I would have expected a pair that was not used much to last more than a few years with maybe 4 uses. I was really disappointed.
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I just broke out several easyboots I haven’t used for years (new horse) and found that the back straps were falling apart. I wasn’t happy because the rest of the boot was fine, and I couldn’t see why they were using different materials for the backstraps than for the rest of the boot? The backstraps are a real pain to replace (nuts and bolts and washers and gaiters and spacers…) and I replaced some of them twice because the replacement backstraps looked fine, but then after I put them in and used them they were breaking, too.
I’m not happy about that, but at least the rest of the boot lasts.
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Different types of boots fit different hoof shapes, so keep that in mind.
I have found EasyCare boots to be the most durable. I most recently used the new EasyBoot Fury & really liked it, so did my horse. I have a pair of EasyBoot Epics which are probably 10 years old - I’ve replaced gaiters & cables, but the boots themselves are still solid. I like things with replaceable components.
Scoot boots did NOT work for us - too much pressure across heel bulbs & had twisting issues despite multiple sizes & shims.
I also really liked the Cavallo Sport, also durable, never rubbed, very easy to use. Would buy another pair of those in a heartbeat.
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